- Date
- May 22, 2022, 15:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bealeton, VA · Bird strike over airport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N104MXMX MXS
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220522008189A
- Case key
- 105127
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
An inflight collision with a bird while conducting low level aerobatics.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was performing an aerobatic routine (about 500 ft above ground level) when a large bird impacted the leading edge of the left wing resulting in substantial damage to the spar. The pilot was able to maintain control of the airplane and landed without incident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N104MX
- Reported as
- MX MXS
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11
- Built
- 2011
- Airframe hours
- 447
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540-EXP, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Air race/show · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · February 14, 2022
- Departed
- HWY · Midland, VA
- Destination
- HWY · Midland, VA
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 3, 2022
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 5,352 total · 445 in this make and model · 4,851 as pilot in command · 174 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HWY, 5 nm away
- METAR
- SA 22/05/2022 19:15-> METAR KHWY 221915Z AUTO 19006KT 10SM SCT050 BKN070 BKN120 32/18 A3000
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 17, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.